WEBVTT CAROL STARTS NOW.. BREAKING NEWS JUST INTO OUR NEWSROOM... OUR NBC AFFILLIATE IN COLUMBIA... W-I-S... IS REPORTING THE BODIES OF FIVE MISSING LEXINGTON COUNTY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN FOUND IN ALABAMA. WSFA IN ALABAMA CONFIRMED FROM THE BUTLER COUNTY ALABAMA SHERIFF THAT THE BODIES WERE FOUND IN WILCOX COUNTY AT ABOUT 5:00 P.M. THE FATHER OF THE MISSING CHILDREN WAS RECENTLY ARRESTED IN MISSISSIPPI ON CHARGES UNRELATED TO THEIR DISAPPEARANCE. MUCH MORE ON THIS STORY ON WYFF FOUR DOT COM. RIGHT NOW ON WYFF NEWS FOUR AT SIX... A MISSING 13-YEAR-OLD ... ON HER WAY BACK HOME. STATE AND FEDERAL AGENTS GOT INVOLVED IN FINDING HER. AUTHORITIES SAY 13 YEAR HAYLEE LEDFORD WAS WITH HER 22-YEAR-OLD BOYFRIEND JACOB "JAKE" PEARCE. HERE'S WHAT THE BUNCOMBE COUNTY SHERIFF HAD TO SAY. 26:50-27-50 "late last night early early this morning ms ledford was located in texas near the mexican border with that boyfriend. It is our understanding right now that the fbi is looking into charges against the boyfriend and ms ledford was being transported back here by airplane as we speak." SHERIFF DUNCAN SAYS FEDERAL STATE AND LOCAL CHARGES ARE PENDING AGAINST JAKE PEARCE. HE'S EXPECTED TO BE EXTRADITED TO BUNCOMBE COUNTY. A SCARE AT A SIMPSONVILLE SCHOOL BUS STOP HAS a GREENVILLE COUNTY NEGHBORHOOD ON EDGE. 2 YOUNG SISTERS SAY A STRANGER TRIED TO PICK THEM UP AS THEY WALKED HOME FROM THE SCHOOL BUS STOP ALONG BROWN LANE. WYFF NEWS FOUR'S ANGELA RODRIGUEZ JOINS US LIVE AND LOCAL TONGIHT. ANGELA... WE'RE IN THE WINDSOR FOREST SUBDIVISION. DEPUTIES ARE TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY-THE CALL WENT OUT AS A POSSIBLE CHILD ABDUCTION. THE GIRLS ARE SAFE. AND NOW. PARENTS AREN'T THE ONLY ONES KEEPING WATCH. NATTS-SCHOOL BUS Underneath 3:01:04 nothing but children stay in this neighborhood. We figured this environment is very safe environment for the kids A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH IS JUST BEGINNING AFTER 2 YOUNG SISTERS SAY A STRANGE MAN FOLLOWED THEM FROM THE BUS STOP ON FRIDAY. ERIC WASHPON SAYS HIS 10 YEAR OLD AND 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTERS CAME HOME IN A PANIC. 3:01:17 my kids came running home Friday said some guy approached them yelling out truck I'm gonna get you. So we teach our kids whenever you are approached by strangers you don't talk. Just run. That's exactly what they did. INVESTIGATORS SAY THE CHILDREN WERE ALSO APPROACHED BY A MAN ON AUGUST 19TH. THAT CASE WASN'T REPORTED.. UNTIL IT HAPPENED FOR A 2ND TIME. THIS AFTERNOON DEPUTIES WERE WAITING ON THE SCHOOL BUS TO ARRIVE ALONG BROWN LANE. THERE WAS ALSO A SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYEE NEARBY. AS INVESTIGATORS TRY TO PUT A FACE ON THE SCARE. THIS FATHER HAS A MESSAGE FOR THE MAN WHO FOLLOWED HIS DAUGHTERS. AND SPREAD FEAR THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD. 3:02:19 I would say to this guy he needs to stop wha't he's doing. We don't know what his mindset is. I just wish God would put it in his spirit to make him stop. If not then we need to catch him. Get him off the street. DEPUTIES DO NOT HAVE A VERY GOOD DESCRIPTION OF THE SUSPECT. THEY BELIEVE HE USED 2 DIFFERENT VEHICLES. ONE WAS A WHITE SEDAN.. THE OTHER A FORD TRUCK. THEY ARE ASKING PARENTS IN THIS AREA TO BE ALERT AND REPORT PEOPLE WHO DON'T BELONG. NOW TO OCONEE COUNTY ... WHERE DEPUTIES ARRESTED A MAN ON SEVERAL CHARGES IN CONNECTION WITH A RAPE. MICHAEL GILMORE IS CHARGED WITH CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT FIRST DEGREE.. AND KIDNAPPING.. DEPUTIES SAY THEY RESPONDED TO THE TOKEENA CROSSROADS AREA EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. A WOMAN TOLD THEM GILMORE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER. DEPUTIES SAY THIS WAS NOT A RANDOM CRIME. ITS UNCLEAR HOW WELL THE TWO KNEW EACH OTHER. A GUILTY VERDICT TONIGHT FOR A WOMAN ACCUSED OF MISTREATING ANIMALS AT HER UPSTATE RESCUE. WYFF NEWS 4'S MANDY GAITHER IS LIVE AND LOCAL IN ANDERSON COUNTY WHERE THE TRIAL JUST WRAPPED UP. MANDY...WHAT DID THE SUSPECT HAVE TO SAY AFTER THE VERDICT? DEBRA SHERIDAN SAYS SHE'S IN SHOCK. BUT, TOLD ME SHE DOES PLAN TO APPEAL THE GUILTY VERDICT. SHERIDAN RUNS THE GOLDEN S RESCUE IN ANDERSON COUNTY... AND WAS FOUND GUILTY TODAY OF MALTREATMENT OF ANIMALS...AND GUILTY OF HAVING NO PROOF OF THE RABIES VACCINATION FOR 11 OF HER ANIMALS. IN FEBRUARY...ANDERSON COUNTY SEIZED 130 ANIMALS FROM HER PROPERTY ON HAMLIN ROAD. SINCE THEN...THE COUNTY HAS CARED FOR THE ANIMALS AT THEIR SHELTER...AND THAT'S COST MORE THAN 160- THOUSAND DOLLARS... AND TODAY'S VERDICT DOESN'T MEAN THE COUNTY CAN STOP CARING FOR THOSE ANIMALS BECAUSE SHERIDAN IS STILL FACING OTHER CHARGES...AND UNTIL SHE GOES TO COURT ON THOSE CHARGES...THE COUNTY WILL CONTINUE TO PAY FOR THE CARE OF THE ANIMALS... HERE'S WHAT SHERIDAN...HER ATTORNEY...AND THE INTERIM COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR HAD TO SAY AFTER COURT. i've never mistreated an animal I don't care what they say we tried very hard to come to an agreement that my client nad me and the solicitor's office were in an agreement to settle this matter forever the appeal that we've already filed would have been dropped we were going to give up rights to all of the dogs except for 15 that were her personal pets and 4 cats and the county of anderson decided not to take us up on that probably the worst feature of this is that we're not allowed to adopt those animals out it's causing overcrowding in our animal shelter it's hurting our adoption efforts it's causing a great deal of problems SHERIDAN WAS GIVEN SIX MONTHS TO PAY TWO FINES OF ONE-THOUSAND-92 DOLLARS AND 50 CENTS.... NO WORD ON WHEN THOSE OTHER CHARGES WILL GO TO COURT. MANDY GAITHER WYFF NEWS 4 LIVE IN ANDERSON COUNTY. LESS THAN AN HOUR TO GO BEFORE THE POLLS CLOSE IN SPARTANBURG DISTRICT 5. NEWS FOURS LIZ LOHUIS LIVE IN LOCAL. LIZ THEY'RE VOTING ON A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR RENOVATION FOR BYRNES HIGH SCHOOL. THAT'S RIGHT MICHAEL... I'M LIVE OUTSIDE ONE OF MANY POLLING PLACES...WHICH AS YOU CAN SEE IS LINED WITH SIGNS ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO VOTE ON WAY OR THE OTHER. PEOPLE ARE DECIDING IF THE 71 MILLION DOLLAR RENOVATIONS ARE WORTH A TAX HIKE. THOSE UPGRADES WOULD CREATE MORE CLASSROOMS...MAKE CAMPUS SAFER..AND IMPROVE ATHLETIC FACILITIES. VOTERS HAVE BEEN SPLIT OVER THE POSSIBLE BYRNES HIGH SCHOOL REVAMP-LEADING TO AN IMPRESSIVE TURNOUT- SINCE IT'S A SPECIAL ELECTION. POLL OFFICIALS SAY-IT'S RARE TO HAVE A REFERENDUM QUESTION UNLESS IT'S ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT. BUT THEY'RE GLAD PEOPLE ARE TURNING OUT. 28:31 the school board wanted to have it in September to go ahead and meet some construction schedules that would allow them to proceed. 56:08 this was unusual, we just happened to have one back to back. There are various off elections throughout the county in various years for various reasons. THE POLLS CLOSE AT 7. RESULTS ARE EXPECTED IN TONIGHT. WE'LL HAVE THEM FOR YOU TONIGHT AT 11. WYFF NEWS FOR LIZ LOHUIS SPARTANBURG COUNTY. STARTING TODAY... CHEROKEE COUNTY IS ADDRESSING AN ISSUE THAT'S COMING BETWEEN FIRST RESPONDERS AND THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM. WYFF NEWS FOUR'S MIKE MCCORMICK.. INTRODUCES YOU TO A DEPUTY WHO'S ALREADY TAKING PART IN THis LIFE- SAVING MISSION. STRESS IS PART OF THE JOB - FOR CHEROKEE COUNTY DEPUTY - DAVID OWENS. 46:25 "it gets a little hairy sometimes." IN THIS CASE - THOUGH - HE'S REFERRING TO A PROBLEM THAT COULD BE PREVENTED. 45:50 "a lot of times dispatch will be on the phone and they're telling you they're hearing fighting in the background or stuff like that, you hear somebody hollering for help in the background and you can't find them." HE MAY HAVE THE ADDRESS.. BUT IN MANY CASES... THE NUMBERS AREN'T DISPLAYED AT ALL.. OR THEY'RE HIDDEN. 45:36 "it sends you into a panic mode yourself." NOW.. THERE'S THIS. STARTING TODAY - EMERGENCY RESPONSE OFFICIALS IN CHEROKEE COUNTY WILL HAND OUT DOOR HANGERS - THAT REMIND PEOPLE ABOUT THE STATE LAW - WHICH REQUIRES THAT ADDRESS OR BUILDING NUMBERS BE PLAINLY LEGIBLE AND VISIBLE FROM THE STREET. 50:03 "just trying to get your house numbered, ok?" FOR NOW.. THIS IS MORE ABOUT EDUCATION THAN IT IS ENFORCEMENT. 54:45 "we're going around today and we're trying to find houses that's not marked with numbers on it." EACH HOME THAT GETS ONE OF THESE - WILL BE DOCUMENTED. THE SHERIFF SAYS IF THERE ARE PROBLEMS AT THAT SAME SPOT IN THE FUTURE - THE PERSON LIVING THERE COULD GET A TICKET. 54:56 "we just want to be able to find us if you call us, ok?""these door hangers aren't just about this whole address situation. Each one of these reminds people about the importance of a working smoke detector and encourages them to create something called a safety profile, which will help 911 dispatchers, should they need to call for help. Mike McCormick, WYFF News4, in Gaffney." TO WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. IF YOU LIVE IN FLETCHER ... YOU'LL NEED BOIL YOUR WATER. HENDERSONVILLE WATER AND SEWER IS OUT WITH AN ADVISORY. AN OUTAGE STARTED TODAY AROUND NOON .. AND ENDED AROUND 530. THE COMPANY SAYS BOIL YOUR WATER FOR LEAST ONE MINUTE BEFORE USING